Wooriwa CEO Choi Kwang-yong poses at the company’s office in Seoul’s Jung District. Courtesy of Wooriwa
Wooriwa invests in pet food development and manufacturing beyond what most people imagine. Rather than just focusing on scale, the company hones its technological capacity to create pet food for dogs and cats across every stage of their lifespan.
Pet Food Kitchen in Eumseong County, North Chungcheong Province, serves as the Seoul-based company’s manufacturing hub. Opening in 2020, the four-story plant, with a total floor area of 23,800 square meters, produces an average of 60,000 tons of pet food per year, with a maximum capacity of 120,000 tons.
With each floor running 250 meters long, the wide interior space is divided into different processing zones, with each quarter strictly quarantined from one another. The measure prevents working sectors from compromising clinical safety by sharing air, ingredients or personnel.
Inside the plant are the company’s latest facilities, all certified for hazard analysis and critical control points, organic production, and quarantine conditions. Vacuum coating and twin extruders are part of the plant’s key equipment helping to sustain production capacity.
Wooriwa CEO Choi Kwang-yong said pet food professionals from overseas were amazed when they visited Pet Food Kitchen.
“Even an expert from France, a country known as a leader in the pet food industry, said, ‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’ and touted Pet Food Kitchen,” Choi said in his interview with The Korea Times.
“Our facility is on par with even the most advanced installations in the IT industry. Visitors to the kitchen often ask why I invested so heavily in a mere pet food manufacturing facility. I replied, ‘Isn’t this what you should do if you care about quality?’”
In January, Wooriwa further extended its technological scope by opening a new research and development center in western Seoul’s Gangseo District. The expansion reflected Choi’s belief that when it comes to pet food, researching recipes should be prioritized over manufacturing. He also realized the company lacked a dedicated space for the purpose of ensuring quality on par with global standards and thus improving consumer trust.
An ANF pet food product released by Wooriwa in March, tailored to different age groups with diversified nutritional specifications / Courtesy of Wooriwa
The center this month launched Wooriwa Kibble Lab, a platform dedicated to developing a variety of kibble for pets of different ages, health conditions and dietary habits. Using its so-called “kibble architecture technology,” the lab has introduced Soft Kibble and Air Kibble.
The lab is also equipped with a pilot extruder, an advanced piece of equipment that replicates the plant’s manufacturing conditions to enable sampling production and examine planned products’ formula and other qualities before starting mass production.
“We inevitably came across unexpected variables when implementing our research results in our manufacturing process. An additional verification process could become lengthy, requiring us to apply a new adjustment through Pet Food Kitchen and commission another external analysis,” Choi said.
“However, with the pilot extruder in place, we can now replicate production conditions directly at the R&D stage, which significantly shortens development time, improves quality stability and reduces risk.”
More than 10 researchers with master’s or doctoral degrees in pet nutrition operate the plant and research center. Choi said Wooriwa is the only company in Korea with a manufacturing plant, a research center and a dedicated team of researchers.
“Since taking office in 2022, I have invested the most effort in internalizing technical and research capabilities and introducing a quality management system. I believed the pet food industry needed to move beyond simple manufacturing and transition toward a scientifically verified, data‑based quality system,” Choi said.
“There are global standards to meet in this industry, including the Association of American Feed Control Officials in the United States and the European Pet Food Industry Federation in Europe. However, our research arm adds another hurdle to overcome on top of those global certification labels, to make our products more perfect.”
Pilot extruder at Wooriwa’s R&D center in Seoul’s Gangseo District, Jan. 13 / Courtesy of Wooriwa
Wooriwa currently exports its signature brands, including ANF and Iskhan, to seven countries in Asia, including Vietnam — its largest global market — as well as Indonesia and Thailand. Target markets include the U.S., the Philippines, India, Australia, Russia and Mexico. The company has already established an American subsidiary to accelerate its market expansion there.
The company’s annual exports surpassed $6 million in 2024 and 2025. Although exports still account for less than 9 percent of sales, Choi said the figure is expected to surpass domestic sales within a decade.
This year’s export goal is $10 million. Last month, celebrating International Puppy Day, the company introduced a new ANF lineup with three products targeting dogs aged 1 to 6 years, 7 to 10 years and 11 to 14 years. Iskhan has also gone through a renewal and plans to diversify varieties for different health conditions and diseases.
Rising demand for cat food is also strengthening the company’s competitiveness as it works toward its export goals.
“Our goal is to build a society where pets and humans happily live together. Companion animals are more than just living beings around us. They are our meaningful partners with whom we can coexist and provide mutual companionship. Life with a pet goes beyond simple cohabitation. It is a process of understanding, respecting and growing together. I see pets as invaluable companions who help complete each other’s lives,” Choi said.
“Pet Food Kitchen’s name, for example, is itself meaningful. While such facilities are usually referred to as feed factories, we see this space as a kitchen for pet meals. In the kitchen, a production team leader is called a ‘chef,’ and nearly 200 different formulas are ‘recipes.’”
Dining and Cooking